Loan defender Frederico Venancio hopes to spoil Carlos Carvalhal’s emotional return to Hillsborough by dumping his Swansea City team out of the FA Cup.

All eyes will be on Carvalhal when the Owls take on the Swans in the fifth round of the competition today, kick-off 12:30pm.

Owls defender Frederico Venancio

Carvalhal spent two-and-a-half-years with Wednesday before departing on Christmas Eve by mutual consent. The Portuguese chief is relishing the prospect of going “home” this weekend, having guided the Owls to the Championship play-off final in his first season and the semi-finals in his second.

But he left Wednesday in 15th position after an underwhelming third year.

Four days after his departure, Carvalhal moved to the Liberty Stadium and he has engineered an extraordinary revival. Swansea have lost just one of their 11 matches in all competitions under Carvalhal.

Venancio said: “Carlos is a really funny guy and a nice person.

Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal

“He is doing a great job there, but this Saturday, we will try to win the game. I don’t say he is going to be an enemy, but it is like that feeling. He managed a team we want to beat and we will try our best to do it.

“I try to follow all the matches. Sometimes, it is hard as you have a lot of games. But I know with their last performance that they did really well and they will come here positive and confident. We have a tough game in our hands and have to be at our best to beat them.”

Venancio found first-team opportunities hard to come by when Carvalhal was in charge. Although Carvalhal signed him on loan from Vitoria de Setubal last August, he only turned to Venancio in his final match, the 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough.

The 25-year-old has featured prominently following Jos Luhukay’s arrival, making 10 starts.

Asked if he was given a fair crack of the whip by Carvalhal, Venancio said: “I am thankful for him. He was the one that brought me here and I am really thankful for that.

“I am not negative against him; it is more the opposite. I am really positive.

“Carlos has a good reputation. A long time ago, he was the boss at my club at the club where I was in (at Setubal) a long time. Some there said: ‘Carlos was a good boss and a good person.’ It helped me in my decision and I felt the same here. He was a great person and his assistants were the same. They always tried to help me.

“I understand sometimes why I didn’t play it was a different coach and I needed some months to adapt.

“As a football player, sometimes, you have to wait for your chance and my chance has come.

“Bascially, I am not upset because of that, but really thankful as he was the one to sign me.”

Wednesday have the option to sign Venancio on a permanent basis in the summer.

“I love Sheffield and this club. I will try and do my best, so that at the end of the season, they sign the option,” said Venancio. “But it is not up to me.

“I will try to do my best to go for it, but it is their decision.

“Even now, I don’t know what is going to happen at the end of the season. But I want to stay, that is my big goal. Still now it is a trial as every game is one more opportunity to show my quality as a player. Not just for the boss, also for the fans and everyone who works with the club. I have more chances than the beginning.

“In the beginning, I felt the people were so friendly. The city is different to my home town, but I thorougly enjoy life here. Everyone seems so friendly. When you come here and see that, it is almost as if you are at home and now I feel at home. That’s why I say I love Sheffield.”